Industry News
Prep school head warns new rules 'may be a financial burden'
Posted on 12th March 2008
The headmaster of a leading private preparatory school has said that some schools may struggle to meet the Charity Commission's new rules, which require independent schools to benefit the local community in some way in order to keep their charity status.
Michael Spinney, head of the Beacon School in Buckinghamshire and chairman of the Independent Association of Prep Schools, told the Telegraph that the commissions' new regulations could force schools into financial difficulties.
His school, which has 450 pupils and charges fees up to £10,800 pounds a year, already helps teach music and sport to disabled children from local state schools and is offering one free place from September.
Although many bigger private schools, such as Harrow, have already launched fund-raising campaigns to offer places and services to poorer students, some fear that smaller schools may not be able to comply with the regulations.
Mr Spinney warned that if schools do not have significant endowment funds, the extra charges will be passed on to fee-paying parents.
"The worst possible effect is that it would be a threat to schools' business - that they couldn't meet the financial requirement that's put upon them - and they will go bust," he added.
The Charity Commission's guidelines do state however that the schools which charge the highest fees would be required to do the most to justify their charitable status.